Hacking SX Core checklist

[OriginalCopycat]

Hi guys, I'm new to posting here, but I've been doing a lot of reading and following conversations to try to educate myself before posting.

I've just received my SX Core (wow it's tiny!) - and I'm conscious that a lot of the guides are incomplete (TX's SX Core manuals) and/or are not updated for SX Core (the Switch Homebrew Guide) and may include a lot of steps I don't need to do and a lot of software that I think may brick a Mariko?

I just wanted to put down what I'm intending to do and ask if anyone would kindly correct me or add/amend/remove any steps.

1. Update Switch in OFW (currently to 10.0.4).
2. Delete WiFi configuration and power off (avoid ban if accidentally boot into OFW with SD card inserted?).
   
3. Format SD card with FAT32 and put Boot.dat (from the Beta 3.02 download) into the root.
4. Perform physical install of SX Core.
5. Power on and check that Angry Boot.dat? Man appears.
6. Power off and insert SD Card. Power on.
   
7. Backup SysNand (is the app that does this all part of the Boot.dat or do I need to copy a special tool onto the SD card for this)? Does this action also partition the SD Card? I don't intend to ever boot the Switch to OFW with the SD Card inserted, so not sure what I should do?
8. Copy SysNand to Dropbox + OneDrive +USB Pen Drive etc etc.
9. Rip my carts to the SD Card and play.

I know I'm supposed to license SXOS as some stage too (between steps 6 & 7?), but I assume this is self-explanatory (again the SX Core manual doesn't mention this)?

Have I missed anything or misunderstood anything? I have tried to be self-sufficient, but there's no substitutre for someone knowledgable telling you it's right

Thanks for helping me!

 

[WackyRaces]

Missed setting up Emunand mate. As far as I’m aware, the backing up of the Nand and setting up the Emunand is done via the SXOS boot menu.

Just waiting for the tri wing screw driver to come through and I’ll hopefully have this done today. Will update if you need

 

[matias3ds]

At point 5- if you have the boot.dat on the micro sd card you wont get angry face , but instead sxos will start running .
Point 5 - was only for beta testers , becuase boot.dat was share after they get the boot.dat file missing

 

[OriginalCopycat]

Thanks for replies.

So, if I want to make sure OFW doesn’t detect anything naughty shall I just never boot into it with the SD Card inserted - is that even possible or does the SD Card need to be inserted in order to boot at all, once SX Core installed?

I’d like to keep everything totally separate. I will never allow CFW to go online and if SD Card not inserted when I boot to OFW then surely it can never be detected?

 

[Nezztor]

Thanks for replies.

So, if I want to make sure OFW doesn’t detect anything naughty shall I just never boot into it with the SD Card inserted - is that even possible or does the SD Card need to be inserted in order to boot at all, once SX Core installed?

I’d like to keep everything totally separate. I will never allow CFW to go online and if SD Card not inserted when I boot to OFW then surely it can never be detected?

You don't need to worry , nintendo isn't scanning the SD and so far no bans are reported for staying emunand offline and nand online , just make sure the emunand option is on then start the cfw

 

[x3n0]

Its not likely big N is going to analyse files on your SD card. I would be very uncomfortable if any big N employee would see my wife's nude pictures on de MicroSD i also use in my Switch.

Should I move those pics to a safer place like the I-cloud?

If you keep emunand and the sdcard belonging to it separate from the OFW sdcard you should be ok. I manage to forget swapping out sd's sometimes. Did not get me in trouble so far.

 

[enum]

After you make your backups and you create you emmunand you see that emmunand will be disabled. When you click on the boot ctw option you'll get a message that says you need to activate your license, it will create your request file for you. Take that file from you sd card, go to the sx website and activate you license there. Youll get a licence file, just pop it into the root of the sd card and you're done, emmunand will now be enabled. Just remember to not use any programs that modify the nand in any way as they will either break your emmunad or brick your switch, hopefully they'll be updated sonner than later.

 

[OriginalCopycat]

Ok, mid-install of SX Core and realised there’s two different thermal pastes. The grey one on the NVIDIA and the pink one on the copper heatsink. What should I replace the pink stuff with as only bought MX-4?

 

[enum]

Ok, mid-install of SX Core and realised there’s two different thermal pastes. The grey one on the NVIDIA and the pink one on the copper heatsink. What should I replace the pink stuff with as only bought MX-4?

I used the same thermal paste for both and haven't run into any issues

 

[izy]

Ok, mid-install of SX Core and realised there’s two different thermal pastes. The grey one on the NVIDIA and the pink one on the copper heatsink. What should I replace the pink stuff with as only bought MX-4?

I used the same thermal paste for both and haven't run into any issues

i didnt even use paste on it.
it doesnt even make contact to the shielding in the first place which is why they used so much

 

[OriginalCopycat]

i didnt even use paste on it.
it doesnt even make contact to the shielding in the first place which is why they used so much

to be clear, you mean you didn’t replace the pink paste, but you did replace the grey - right?

 

[izy]

to be clear, you mean you didn’t replace the pink paste, but you did replace the grey - right?

Didnt replace the pink.

Also removed the copper foil so the heatsink contacts the die directly

 

[OriginalCopycat]

I used the same thermal paste for both and haven't run into any issues

what did you use, out of interest?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Guys, is this ok for the NVIDIA?...

MX-4 (current edition) - Quality thermal compound for all CPU coolers, extremely high thermal conductivity, low thermal resistance, safe use, long durability, 4g

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07L9BDY3T/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_gBL8Eb1PCVSMA

 

[OriginalCopycat]

Didnt replace the pink.

Also removed the copper foil so the heatsink contacts the die directly

Interesting, so do you cut out the copper and just leave the whole GPU exposed and then cake it in paste so the heatsink is connected straight to the chip via the paste? I quite like that idea because I’m worried if I bent the shield when removing it I may not get a perfect contact, but your method seems to get around that. I wonder why N didn’t do that to begin with?

 

[izy]

Interesting, so do you cut out the copper and just leave the whole GPU exposed and then cake it in paste so the heatsink is connected straight to the chip via the paste? I quite like that idea because I’m worried if I bent the shield when removing it I may not get a perfect contact, but your method seems to get around that. I wonder why N didn’t do that to begin with?

it what mobile devices seem to use on phones a copper foil.

thats what it is literally a sticker you can peel off

they probably had to follow some standards, same thing with the emi shield which is also pointless

 

[OriginalCopycat]

it what mobile devices seem to use on phones a copper foil.

thats what it is literally a sticker you can peel off

they probably had to follow some standards, same thing with the emi shield which is also pointless

Right, so you peel it off and it leaves the GPU exposed or you need to cut a hole in the shield?

 

[izy]

Right, so you peel it off and it leaves the GPU exposed or you need to cut a hole in the shield?

it leaves an exposed square hole you can directly put the heatpipe to to cpu on

 

[OriginalCopycat]

it leaves an exposed square hole you can directly put the heatpipe to to cpu on

perfect - thanks

 

[WackyRaces]

Finished my install at around 6ish. Works perfectly. Just to add a note and may not apply to you when disassembling. I noticed when I removed the NAND, I took the shield that it’s stuck onto with it! Looked a bit weird later and then thought “nah, this ain’t right!”.

The only shield you need to remove is the one instructed in the manual. After cutting the top side off the shielding so the black flex cable was free, I stuck it back on and thermal pasted my way out! Insulation tape to stick down the NAND and the USB connector and finished the installation.

I hope it helps somebody!

EDIT:

Tools I used were:

1) Soldering station with controllable temp (Hakko FX951)
2) 60/40 leaded solder 0.5mm
3) No clean flux pen (chemtronics)
4) Electrolube Fluxclene to clean off excess flux from the solder and thermal paste removal

 

[tripnation]

Finished my install at around 6ish. Works perfectly. Just to add a note and may not apply to you when disassembling. I noticed when I removed the NAND, I took the shield that it’s stuck onto with it! Looked a bit weird later and then thought “nah, this ain’t right!”.

The only shield you need to remove is the one instructed in the manual. After cutting the top side off the shielding so the black flex cable was free, I stuck it back on and thermal pasted my way out! Insulation tape to stick down the NAND and the USB connector and finished the installation.

I hope it helps somebody!

EDIT:

Tools I used were:

1) Soldering station with controllable temp (Hakko FX951)
2) 60/40 leaded solder 0.5mm
3) No clean flux pen (chemtronics)
4) Electrolube Fluxclene to clean off excess flux from the solder and thermal paste removal

nice work. re

After cutting the top side off the shielding so the black flex cable was free

have you got a photo of what this cut looked like?